The event kicked off Friday night with participants fasting, praying and singing at Ford Field. With no big name bands or speakers, the event was touted as a solemn assembly, rather than a festival, where worshippers seek God.

"We are not just seeking to have a good gathering. We are trying to move heaven on behalf of a desperate situation in Detroit," Lou Engle, co-founder of TheCall, said ahead of the event.

Though Engle stressed that the gathering was meant to break down all barriers and unite people as they seek God's healing hand, some saw the event as divisive, anti-Muslim and anti-abortion....